Shrimp and Tomato
by P8ON T
Summary: When Rin left for Australia he left his best friend behind, promising that when he came back that he'd make her his girlfriend, that he'd still love her, that he wouldn't forget. Unbeknownst to her, Rin had changed over in Australia and he's not he bright eyed kid he was before. Tomoe kept her promise to him, but the question is: Did Rin keep his? Please R&R I love feedback! RinXOC
1. The Shrimp and The Tomato Prologue

**Hey guys so this is now going to be my first story on . I'm really excited because all of my others are trash and I had a feeling that this one was actually pretty good, but I'll let ya'll be the judge of that. Feel free to leave me rates, reviews, and any suggestions toward character development or story line that would be great! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Free: Iwatobi Swim Club. The only character I own is my own Tomoe.**

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The warning call of the train chimed for the 10 minute mark. If the doors closed before someone could get on, they missed their chance to go to the airport until another hour.

People in coats and jackets rushed by, hurrying to catch their train. The city was normally this busy. People never taking the time to just stop and enjoy the small winter flower beds that were planted all over the place, or maybe sit down on a bench with some hot chocolate to warm them up. Most people just didn't have time.

The wind blew locks of light mint colored hair backwards, making the owner shrink into her own coat and shiver. "Rin I'm going to catch a cold if I stay out here any longer!" the girl said harshfully, or as harsh as she could manage with a 12 year old voice.

The red haired preteen standing in front of her glared at her. "I'm about to leave for who knows how many years and you're yelling at me? You should be crying and begging me not to go like Nagisa." Rin scoffed. He really wanted her to at least act like she was going to miss him.

"Psh, I'm not that weak. I don't cry like a little baby. You should be crying you shrimp." She retorted staying strong just like always. She knew it made him mad when she called him a shrimp. It wasn't her fault that she was a couple inches taller than him already. They always fought about that and more. It was a constant battle between the two of them. During classes, during recess, even at swim practice which was for boys only she always criticized Rin on his swimming. It wasn't like he didn't fight back, he usually started it was the problem.

"Fine then I'll just go ahead and leave." Rin said turning and giving a backhanded wave as he went to go step on the train.

She realized just how serious he was and suddenly, her body acted on its own as she jumped forward and seized his arm. She saw the smirk on his face once she got closer and stepped away, her face red with the realization that she actually fell for one of his stupid tricks.

She huffed in frustration and crossed her arms. "I knew you'd fall for it. You really will miss me." he laughed at her.

"Whatever if you're gonna play dirty tricks on me like that then I'll leave too. It's cold and I'm going to go home." She really sounded mad this time as she started to walk away.

Rin scowled, a scowl of a child who was angry they didn't get what they want. Quickly Rin ran over to her and snagged her arm. "What's wrong with you Tomoe! You're supposed to be crying and saying a bunch of nice stuff to me! I might be gone forever and you're acting like this!" he yelled staring straight into her green-blue eyes. "It's like you won't even miss me! I'm going to miss you, you know! If I could pick anyone to go with me I'd pick you!" her eyes widened slowly at his words. He was really, really going to miss her.

It was silent for a while. Tomoe couldn't believe that he'd just said those things. "Like I'm not going to miss you Rin. I'm trying not to miss you so I won't cry like a baby when you leave. You're annoying and selfish, and I really like fighting with you. It's going to be lonely without you here to argue with me over what kind of ice cream to get and to yell at you because you suck at helping my mom cook dinner. I'm going to miss your red hair, your stupid smirk, and how you always think your better than me when it's totally a lie." Tears started to stream from her eyes as she let loose all the emotions she had been trying to hold back.

Rin was shocked to hear her say that. "I-I really like you Tomo." He said once he was done. Tomoe looked up, face streaming tears to see the 12 year old with his hands stuffed in his pocket as his face avoided hers. It was turning a slight shade of pink. She waited for him to say it again and looked as if he was struggling to get the words out. "I can't believe you're making me say it again. I love you!" he yelled to her harshly. His pointed teeth barred. It was really hard for him to say it.

Tomo's face was flushed with red tint. Rin loved her! "Rin, I-I love you too." She stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek and Rin's face went from harsh to surprise as he flushed the same amount of red as her. "Haha you look like little shrimp!" she laughed at him.

"Well look at you, you look like a tomato!" he retorted. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and made the angriest face she could manage.

"I am not!" Suddenly, he thrust something toward her from out of his pocket. "What's this?" she asked taking a thin red rope bracelet where the end was adjustable to the size of the wrist. She studied it.

"Wait for me." she looked up and he was smiling at her. "Wait for me to come back and when I do I'll take you out on dates and we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend." He ecstatic even though his face was 10 shades of dark red.

"Promise you won't ever forget about me! That we'll always be best friends and you'll always be my boyfriend." The train called for one minute as Rin stood in silence. Tomoe, was getting impatient "Promise me you shrimp!" Tomoe demanded sticking out her pinkie finger.

Rin lunged forward with a burst of courage and quickly kissed her small lips. Tomoe was in shock. "I promise you tomato." He laughed full of boyish confidence.

"Shut up little shrimp! You can't just kiss someone like that! I'm sure you won't grow any while you're over there in Australia!" she yelled back

"Whatever! Oh yeah…I asked Haru and Mako to look after you." He suddenly grew quieter.

"Why would you do that? I don't need anyone to take care of me." she huffed.

"Who's going to make sure you don't get lost on your way to school like you always do when you're alone?" he asked.

"I don't always get lost! I choose to take a detour dummy." There they went again, fighting.

Rin was happy to be going off like this. Realizing that this was the only way that she could be happy seeing him off he was glad to argue as much as she wanted up until the very last second.

Finally the 2 minute warning sounded, meaning everyone on the trains now. Tomoe jumped in surprise and looked at him, realizing this was the last time she would see him for a really long time. She wouldn't get to go visit him, or be able to talk with him, she'd be lonely without him, so very lonely. "Don't cry Tomo." Rin said seeing clear tears fall from her eyes.

"I'm not crying! it's windy, my eyes were dry!" she said rubbing them hard.

"I love you, you tomato faced girl." Rin said hugging her kind of awkwardly.

"I love you too shorty shrimp boy." And those were the last words they said to each other. She watched as the train pulled away and pulled the bracelet he gave her onto her wrist, pulling the string as tight as it could go. She made sure it wasn't going to slip off for the next couple of years.


	2. No Running By The Pool

**Alright so first chapter is up. Hope you stayed past the prologue because I promise you it gets better from here.**

 **Disclaimer: I dont own any of the characters from Free!: Iwatobi Swim Club, even though I'd like to own Rin. The only character I own is my OC Tomoe.**

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 _*5 Years Later*_

He was back. She heard the news from Haruka, Makoto, and Nagisa of how they ran into Rin at the old Iwatobi Swim club building. He'd been back for a while and hadn't even bothered to come see her. She hadn't heard a word from him since he stopped answering her letters 2 years ago. Now he didn't even come see her.

Makoto felt bad for Tomoe as he watched her eat her lunch alone at one of the outside picnic tables. Once they entered high school she'd stopped hanging out with them. He wanted her to feel included and made many tries at conversing with her. They got along fine, but she was distant ever since they all entered high school.

From the little that she shared with him Rin had stopped answering her letters and when he let it slip that Rin had been back she had looked like she was about to cry. Now, she was just depressed. He didn't like seeing her like that. Mako wanted her to be happy like the days when Rin was around and she followed him everywhere he went whether she wanted to or not. Someone would've thought that Rin would miss her more than she would miss him, but it was obvious that it was the opposite.

"Hey Tomoe." At the sound of her name, the bluenette whipped her head around and stared, open eyes at Makoto Tachibana as he walked toward her. Haruka Nanase fell into step with him and a sudden wave of dread overtook her as her women's intuition kicked in and she felt like running from there.

"Makoto, Haruka." She acknowledged as she continued taking small bites of her bento.

"I've noticed you've been looking pretty down lately. Maybe you want to come with us after school. We're going to Samezuka Academy to train with them for our new swim team. Don't you know some of the swimmers there?" he asked in his kind and soft voice. Makoto really was a gentle giant. He wouldn't dare hurt a fly even if it had a machine gun and was threatening to kill him.

"I'm not down what are you talking about?" she smiled at him, of course it was fake, how could she produce a real smile at a time like this.

Mako wanted to take her there because he knew that Rin would be there. If she missed Rin that much then she would finally be able to reunite with him. even if Rin didn't want to see them, he would want to see the girl that he cared so much about. "You can meet us outside the school after class." Mako said with a gentle smile and left Haru in tow.

Tomoe scoffed and continued eating. She would never show up there. She'd avoided pools because every time she went close to one it brought up old memories that were supposed to be good, but it always left a bitter taste in her mouth. That's why she distanced herself from Mako and Haru. They reminded her too much of Rin.

She looked down at her wrist, the red rope bracelet still firmly in place. She'd never taken it off. A promise was a promise and she could keep a promise, but obviously he couldn't. As the bell rang for the end of the day Tomo was feeling indecisive as she waited outside the school. On one hand she had a friend over there, the teams' captain Seijuro Mikoshiba. Seijuro was supposed to be her cousin even though they weren't that close. It was more like her step cousin because her mom remarried his dad's brother a couple of years ago. On the other hand going to a pool again might bring about a serious depression inside herself.

She could just see her cousin anytime she wanted. She told herself as she started to turn to walk home before anyone saw her. That was until a high pitched voice yelled out to her. "Tomo-chan! You're coming with us to Samezuka right?" it was Nagisa. Tomo acted like she didn't hear him and started to walk a little faster.

Suddenly, she was grabbed by the arm and pulled by a surprisingly strong Nagisa in the opposite direction. "Nagisa let me go." She said just wanting to go home and have a nice hot bath.

"Come on Tomo-chan it'll be fun!" Nagisa said walking behind her, a big smile on his cheeky face. His pink eyes were gleaming with joy. She huffed in frustration because Haru had an iron grip and wasn't going to let go anytime soon. It was her, Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, some blue haired guy she'd never seen before. There was also Gou, who happened to be Rin's little sister. Tomoe hadn't talked to Gou in over 2 years. She was one person that she especially avoided once Rin stopped answering. They weren't that close before so it didn't put a damper on any relationships or anything, but that red hair made her angry, made her sad, and conflicted. Gou was a nice girl there was nothing wrong with her, it was Tomoe that was the problem.

She could just smell the chlorine as they entered the gates of Samezuka and she suddenly felt sick. It was the smell that Rin always sported after practice, he almost always smelled like chlorine. She'd grown to like the smell, but now it made her stomach churn.

"Hey, thanks for coming." A man with slicked back orange, scarlet hair and golden eyes said coming up to them. He was tall and fairly well built in his swim suit and open track jacket.

"Thank you very much." The whole team said bowing. Everyone except for Tomoe who just looked toward the exit. She felt like running now. There were so many memories flooding her head and it wouldn't stop. She was stationed behind Rei Ryugazaki only being partially seen.

"Sure. You're Nanase-kun right? You won a bunch of regional tournaments in grade school." he asked looking toward Haru.

"Yeah." Haru said in his usual airy tone. He continued talking, but that's when out of the corner of her eye Tomoe saw Gou run forward.

"Oh! Big brother!" Tomoe froze. It couldn't be.

"Rin-chan! We get to swim together again! Let's have fun!" Nagisa yelled cheerily like always. Rin switched to his distant, bordering arrogant demeanor and started to walk out.

"Hey you brought my little cousin with you." Tomo didn't register that Mikoshiba was talking about her as he stepped forward. Rei moved to the side revealing the blue haired girl. "Tomoe." He smiled happily pulling her in for a hug.

Rin's keen ears heard her name and froze as well. Why was he here! She pushed Seijuro away and broke out into a run toward the exit. Suddenly, her foot caught on a puddle of water and everyone watched as she slipped and fell into the pool. Rin's head snapped in the direction of a loud scream and saw her only for a split second.

She was under the water for a few seconds before coming up gasping for air. Her short hair was matted to her face as she struggled to swim to the edge. Quickly, someone from the team was over on the edge to help pull her out and people Mikoshiba was there to make sure she was ok.

"Hey, hey, hey let me see your head." Seijuro said taking her head between his hands. He checked to make sure there were no bumps or bruises.

"You should learn to be more careful." Someone suddenly said.


	3. Why?

**Second chapter is a little bit short, but I want to take my time getting up to the good parts. I've already written most of it, but I didn't want to make ya'll read a really long chapter each time. Hope you like it so far R &R because that shows me you're actually reading it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!: Iwatobi Swim Club or it's characters. I only own my OC Tomoe.**

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Tomoe turned her head to look at the owner of the voice. She knew it so well she didn't even need to know who said it. it was the same voice, except deeper, from 5 years ago. It was full of arrogance and confidence. With wide eyes she took in how much he'd changed all these years.

He was definitely taller, no longer a little shrimp, but his crimson hair was still the same length with bangs hanging in his face. His facial features were more defined and he was definitely more handsome. His maroon eyes looked more intense, darker. His frown was more apparent and his teeth sharper.

He had a built body of a swimmer, sleek and muscular. When he was a little kid he was a skinny thing without a trace of body fat. He'd grown into his body more and had built up his abs, pectorals, and arms very well.

It suddenly registered to her that he'd just spoken to her and her eyebrows slanted. "So It's been 5 years and all's you can say to me is you can be more careful." She barked harshly at him. she stood, water dripping down her face and body and clothes.

"You should know better than to run near a pool baka." He said seemingly unfazed by her harsh tone.

This caused Tomoe to get even angrier as she stood up and walked toward him and the sound of a loud slap rang through the air. Rin was stunned. "Why do you think I was running!? To get the hell away from you!" She just exploded. All her pent up anger, rage, and sadness just let itself go all at once. Rin was completely shocked at her outburst. He saw the water drip down her face and realized it wasn't water from the pool, she was crying. He actually hurt her. He never thought that he could really hurt her that much. "I mean they said you came back. They said you changed but I didn't know whether to believe it or not. I guess it's true though. Why Rin? Why are you so mean?" Tomoe sobbed not caring if it was in front of all of her friends or the whole swim team.

On that note she ran off, not caring if her clothes were wet, not caring if it was still cold outside. "I'll go." Haru said walking after her. Rin just looked down at his feet, knowing everyone else was looking at him. His fist was clenched shaking as he bared his teeth. Suddenly, he walked toward the other exit, away from all the commotion.

Haruka caught Tomoe as she was about to leave the building. "Tomoe." He called making her stop. He could see her trembling either from cold or from crying he didn't know.

"Why did you bring me here Haru!" she turned her rage on him. "Did you know he was going to be here?" she yelled taking him by surprise.

"Makoto thought you'd be happier if you saw him again." he explained a sidelong glance aimed at the ground

"Well he was wrong. Rin obviously doesn't want to see me I never wanted to see him!" she barked.

Haru's hand shot out and snatched up her left wrist. "Then why do you still wear this?" he asked pulling her sleeve back to reveal the red bracelet still in place.

"It's none of your business Haru now let go." She said glaring down at him. When he did nothing to let go she yanked her arm away and continued on outside. It was freezing outside, especially in her drenched clothes. A cold shiver was sent up her spine as she tried to locate the exit of this dreadful campus.

She could feel all the boys looking at her, especially in her almost see through shirt. She tried to cover her arms over her chest, but there was no helping the way her clothes stuck to her body. "Excuse me miss, are you lost. I can certainly give you a towel and help you dry off in my room?" a boy said walking up to her. He was an upperclassmen and loving the view he had from above her shorter form.

"No I'm fine, but if you want to point me to the exit that would be great." She said tightening her grip around herself.

"I'd be happy to show you, but really you should dry off before you catch a cold." He was a stubborn one wasn't he?

"Really I'm ok." She said one more time.

"Please it's for your own wellbeing." He slid an arm around her shoulder, and started to drag her to wherever the boys dormitories were. That was until someone stepped between the two, slapping the guy's hand away.

"Why don't you leave her alone you creep." A strong voice said pulling Tomoe toward them and away from the creepy upperclassman. She looked up to see Rin and his glare staring down the guy. It was an angry protective glare, the kind of glare that was dangerous if tested. Why was Rin protecting her? Suddenly, something was thrown around her shoulders and she pulled it around her. It was Rin's jacket. It wasn't a towel, but it would do.


	4. Protective Instinct

**Before you start reading just know that flashbacks and dreams are going to be italicized just to make it easier. Hope you guys are liking it so far and can't you just feel the tension between Rin and Tomoe?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free!: Iwatobi Swim Club or it's characters if I did I'd find a way to make them human and keep them in my basement. I only own my OC Tomoe.**

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" _Eh! A new kid. She came from the same school as Rin! Wow she's really pretty. Look at how long her hair is!" the whole class gawked at her whispering to each other about her pretty hair and eyes. Rin glared around the classroom. Rin had known Tomoe for a long time. He'd known her longer than anyone in the classroom. He didn't want anyone gawking at his friend. She was his friend and his friend only._

 _"Mochina-kun play with us!" a little girl ran up to her at recess. "No, no play with us Mochina!" a little boy came up to her with a soccer ball._

 _"Tomoe lets go!" someone yelled to her grabbing her hand in theirs. Everyone was surprised to see Rin looking confidently at all of them. He made it known that Tomoe was his friend already and they could just leave._

 _Tomoe saw how protective he was becoming, just because people wanted to play with her instead of letting her play with Rin. She smiled. "Rin, I think I want to play soccer with Sanami-san." She smiled at him, pulling away from his grasp._

 _He glared at her. Why didn't she want to play with him. Everyone else wanted her, but she was his friend! "Tomoe! You're my friend! I've known you forever."_

 _She knew she was taking it a little far. Rin's jealously and protective instincts were high right now and she didn't need to be messing with that. She'd seen how he got as a child. "Come on Rin-chan I was only kidding." She smiled and skipped off, pulling him along._

"You're going to get sick. What were you thinking running out here at the beginning of spring?" she didn't realize herself shaking until the sound of her own teeth chattering filled her ears. Rin sighed. His eyes caught on the sight of the thick red bracelet linked around her wrist. He'd seen it when she had run out, and he couldn't stop staring at it now. She'd kept her promise, that he knew.

The sound of a cold laugh caught his ear and he looked down at her. "Y-You think you can c-c-come out here and-and throw your jacket around me and act all heroic. Like I'm g-going to forgive you or something." She said pulling the jacket around her even more. She was freezing as a wind whipped around her again instantly chilling her entire body.

"You seem to like my jacket." He smirked.

"If you can just tell me how the hell I can get out of here I can just get home and not have everyone staring at my bra through my shirt." Immediately Rin's eyes flickered down, just to make sure it was true and the noticeably pink colored bra peeking through her now see through white button up was right there staring at him. He had to admit it she looked pretty hot.

The 5 years had been amazingly good on her. Of course he was now taller, but she'd definitely grown and in all the right places. She had a willowy frame, a slender waist with long milk white legs and a petite yet well defined bust, something that he couldn't help but notice. The only thing really different about her was that she had chopped her hair. He always loved to run his hands along her mint colored locks. They were always so soft and never had any tangles in them. He didn't mind so much the haircut because it suited her and he really liked the short look better. Her eyes though, the meadow green eyes that looked like the grassy planes. A grass ocean blowing in the breeze. He could stare into them all day long. As of right now she had her eyes set to a glare with her brow wrinkling in between. Those petal pink lips of hers were set into an indifferent pout as she stared him down.

"No, you're going to shower, get some dry clothes and then you can leave." He ordered.

"When have I e-ever listened to you?" Tomo retorted glaring as another wave of shivers ripped her to pieces.

"I know you're still bad at directions." Rin had caught her there. She might've known her way around the town now after all these years, but if she was in a new place, she couldn't remember a lick of directions without someone showing her exactly where everything was. Rin remembered that after having to find her lost in the streets somewhere on the way to school before they were both late.

She had always refused to wait for him when getting ready for school because he was always late. Then, she got stubborn and headed off on her own, got lost, and finally got found by Rin and they sprinted to school.

"Why do you care? I obviously don't mean anything to you so I'm going home." Quickly, she threw his jacket at his face and ran off before he had a chance to retaliate.

Tomoe's anger must've propelled her in the right direction because she soon enough found the exit to the school and it was quite easy. As she headed home she thought about well, everything. She was angry and confused.

There was something definitely different about Rin. Along with that, a lot of things were the same. The stubborn childlike demeanor had been replaced with a stubborn anger filled demeanor. His protectiveness was still the same as he didn't like any boy to be near her except for him. That was something that had shocked her the most. After what she did, and what she'd said. After all that time she thought Rin didn't care about her, but he was still jealous and protective, right there to scare off any guys that would try to take her away from him. that's the part that confused her.

He was less demanding though, easily letting her go and run away from him. She kind of wished that he had made her stay, but she quickly dismissed that thought. She didn't want him. He forgot about her. He'd broken his promise to her when she kept his. That's what hurt her the most. They'd always kept their promises to each other. It practically broke her heart.


	5. See You Happy

**Ok so if you haven't already noticed. This story goes along with the anime. This chapter might get kind of boring because it's filler until the next part. Sorry, but I can't skip parts.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free!: Iwatobi Swim Club or the characters. Tomoe is mine though.**

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Tomoe slammed the door to her house, and sprinted toward the bathroom. She sat soaking in the warm bath until the water was practically cold. She didn't want to get out, to face the world, and now that Rin was back in her life, she _really_ didn't want to face it.

When there was a knock on the door Tomoe knew that was the world calling for her to come out and embrace it with open arms. She threw on her house clothes and went to answer the door. The kind face of Mako stood staring at her and she just went to shut it.

"Wait! Tomoe are you ok?" he asked putting his foot in the door.

"No Makoto. I mean why, of all the places would you take me there? You and Haru both know more than anyone that I wouldn't want to see Rin after what he did." Her bitterness was taking over again.

"I just wanted to see you smile again. I…I guess I thought maybe seeing Rin would make you feel better. I'm sorry." The kind quiet tone he took made her regret being so mean to him. He just wanted to help her. She might've not cared too much about them, but Makoto cared about her and she should be grateful for that.

Tomoe sighed and opened up the door. The least she could do was let him in. They both sat down at the table and she made him some tea. It was late so it was relaxing green tea to help her and him both sleep well.

"I'm sorry for exploding on you like that. You were just thinking about me and my feelings and I don't deserve that. Thank you." She said sipping on her tea.

Makoto just smiled. "We're friends, I just wanted the best for you. Plus Rin asked me to watch out for you all these years. I tried my best even though you weren't one for talking once we entered high school." He explained.

"Yeah, when Rin didn't answer my letters it made me think he'd forgotten about me, that he'd broken his promise. It was true." She looked into the swirling, steaming liquid, staring deep into its contents as if studying it.

"That's not true. I'm sure Rin was just doing some hard training, maybe he was going through a rough patch in his life too. Maybe he didn't want to write to you because he didn't want you worrying about him with everything that was happening. Maybe he just didn't have any good news to tell you." Makoto had a thing for sensing people's true feelings, but Tomoe was sure he was wrong on this one. Rin usually told her everything that went on when he wrote to her be it good or bad. It was usually the good things, and he always ended his letters with 'I love you – Rin' she could always hear his voice telling her this as she read over the letters again and again.

When she stopped receiving them, she couldn't hear the sound of his voice telling her that he loved her. It caused her to go into a spiraling depression. That maybe he didn't really love her, and that he'd broken the promise that he made to her.

"He might be a changed person, but he's still the Rin that we both know and love. I don't think you should give up on him yet." Makoto said

She let out a quiet chuckle. He was such a good person. "If he comes for me, I'll give him a chance, but if he doesn't then he's lost me forever." She said standing.

Makoto stood with her and there was an awkward pause in between. Suddenly, he pulled her in to his strong muscular chest, wrapping his giant strong arms around her. "I just want to see you happy." He whispered resting his head on hers. He was already so much taller than her that she easily fit into his arms, head on chest, arms around waist.

It surprised her to say the least, but just hearing that from Makoto made her feel warm inside and encircled in his arms felt safe. A blush spread across her cheeks as he finally let go of her. It'd felt like forever between the two.

"I think I should get going. It's getting late." He said finishing off his green tea. Then he slid open the door and walked out.

As the next few days went by Tomoe found herself less bitter than before. Sure the whole thing with Rin was still on her mind, but having seen him again was better than not seeing him. "Ah Tomoe!" Makoto yelled out to her as he ran over to her in the halls. "I have a question for you Tomo." He smiled at her.

"What is it Makoto?" she asked.

"Well with the swim club being created, we need as much help as we can get. As the captain it's my job to help recruit new members and we can always use some extra help with planning and training. With Gou as manager, we were all wondering if you would be willing to be our assistant manager?" he asked kindly.

"Eh? Me? Part of the swimming club? It might be fun to be a part of the swim club. Maybe it'll be like old times when I used to go watch the meets." Tomoe thought aloud. "Sure sounds fun." She decided.

"Great! We have practice after school today and tomorrow please be there." He said before running off to this class.

After school Tomoe made her way over to the pool to find them already having a meeting. She noticed the blue haired boy was there dressed in a speedo. It was quite comical, a guy as tall and as muscular as him in a speedo that looked like it fit Nagisa. "Hey you made it! Everyone this is Tomoe Mochina our new assistant manager. Most of you know her but Rei you haven't met her before. Tomoe has been around swimming all her life like us." Makoto put his arm around her shoulder, smiling.

"Nice to meet you Rei." She said quietly bowing. As Gou went over their new training regimen Tomoe couldn't help but be interested in that tough training regimen of theirs. That was until they actually started.

Rei spent almost 30 minutes stretching while Tomoe just watched. He needed to get into the water at some point. "Rei-kun! You're still stretching?" Nagisa called from the water. Haru was busy doing laps.

"I want to be as safe as possible." Rei responded giving them a sidelong glance. Tomoe smirked, he was scared. Could he even swim?

"You gonna be ok? You can take it slow…" Makoto started, but he cut him off.

"There's no need to worry. I've mastered theory behind swimming the past few days. I won't embarrass myself again!" he said pulling his goggles over his eyes. So he couldn't swim. That was a shocker to Tomoe. Why would the put someone on their team that couldn't swim?

Rei took the block and everyone stood and watched in silence as he got ready. Then, he leaped forward, with a perfect straight arc to his body, but…he bellyflopped right into the water. A few seconds later he came up gasping. "I think you need to start by learning how to swim." Nagisa called smiling.

They first showed Rei how to do the turtle float by curling into a ball and letting the water hold them. The good news was that Rei could float, but when he extended his arms and tried to swim, he just sank like a rock.

The next day, Tomoe met up with Gou-san in the locker room and they waited on the boys to arrive. Nagisa came running in yelling something about matching uniforms, but even Tomoe knew they didn't need to be worrying about something like that so early. "We can't be thinking of uniforms right now! Here!" she whipped out a piece of paper.

"Is that the new training regimen?" Makoto asked.

"Yes! I had Tomoe help me revamp the regimen to account for the fact that Rei-kun can't swim. It's great having another girl on the team." She smiled winking over at Tomoe. Tomoe smiled back at her. "Oh and Rei-kun. Given how much time we have until the regional tournament, you have to learn how to swim within a week."

"Within a week?" Rei asked and then started to laugh. "That's conceptually impossible."

"This is no laughing matter!" Tomoe yelled at him.

"If you fail, you won't be able to complete this training regimen." Gou got in his face.

"Yes ma'am." He said putting his hands up in defense.

Once they were all changed, Tomoe chose to stand with Gou and Miss. Ama by the side of the pool and observe. First, Nagisa tried to teach him the breast stroke. He just sank again even though his form was absolutely perfect.

On day two, Makoto tried to teach him the backstroke. That was also a failure. Nagisa tried to talk Haru into teaching him how to swim, but to Haru that required too much effort. "This isn't looking good. Um…Miss. Ama-chan do you have any excellent advice you can offer us?" Gou turned to their teacher who was sitting under her black umbrella.

"Let's see…" She thought long and hard about it, but nothing came up.


	6. You Were Going To Show Them This!

**Ok possibly one of my favorite scenes in Free! was when they all went and tried on swimsuits. I was like Gou and fawned over all the muscles. I also thought, what if Tomoe got to try on a bathing suit for them and Nagisa got a little bit bossy.**

 **Disclaimer: I have not nor never will own Free!: Iwatobi Swim Club. Tomo is mine though.**

It rained on Thursday, so there was no practice, but Friday Rei informed everyone about the answer to his no swimming problem was the speedo. So on Saturday, everyone headed out to go buy Rei a new swimsuit. Tomoe even tagged along just for the fun of it.

She stuck close to Haru, maybe to help him pick a swimsuit even though all of his were exactly the same. As he and Rei went to try on different swimsuits, she waited in anticipation. Rei was the first to open up the curtain revealing a full legged swimsuit with rainbow stripes. She almost had a heart attack from the shock of seeing him in that, or a seizure from the brightness that was radiating off his legs.

"I'm going off the fact that each color has a different psychological impact." Was his reasoning.

"So you don't care about how it looks?" Mako said dumbfounded.

"I'm done changing." Haru's voice came next. He unveiled the curtain. "How does it look?" Now Tomoe deadpanned. It was the same as all his other swimsuits.

"Haru, they're all the same, but I guess you look good in it all the time so it doesn't really make a difference." Tomoe brought her hands up and shrugged in a defeated way.

"Isn't it the same?" Nagisa asked.

"No. I like the way this one fits better." He explained in that monotone voice of his. A small smile appeared on his face, but Makoto and Tomoe had the same exact look of complete confusion.

Nagisa then started pushing Makoto in the direction of the changing rooms wanting to try some on as well. Tomoe looked behind her to see Gou fangirling about all the muscles she'd be able to see. Soon, it got tiring and Gou went to get something to drink. Tomoe thought about looking for a swimsuit herself since it was almost summer time.

"Tomo-chan are you going to try on a swimsuit for us?" Nagisa asked.

"I've been meaning to buy a new one. I guess now's my chance." She smiled. Tomoe sifted through the women's swimsuits. She didn't want the competitive swimwear, she wanted something she could wear to the beach. She picked out a nice white one, a simple tankini that would look good on anyone.

She opened up the curtain to reveal herself. "Neh? How does it look?" she asked striking a pose. Tomoe saw Makoto's face light up and Nagisa bounded forward.

"No, no no! Someone like you doesn't need to be in a tankini! You need to show some skin and put on a bikini!" Nagisa yelled at her. She was taken aback. Nagisa wanted her to show _more_ skin! He sprinted off and came back within a minute holding a new swim suit. Quickly he threw it into her hands and closed the curtain. "We need to help Tomo-chan find the perfect swimsuit. Everyone go!" Nagisa yelled and they dispersed. They were serious about this.

"N-Nagisa I don't know about this." Tomoe called thinking that they were still out there. She slowly opened the curtain revealing herself, a blush pasted across her face and saw only one person there. It wasn't Nagisa, or Mako, or Haru, or Rei. It was Rin.

Both were frozen in place. Rin's eyes fell across her body as he observed what she was wearing. Nagisa made her go from a white tankini to a sexy red bikini that barely covered any of her skin. Rin's face was as red as the fabric that she was clad in. "R-Rin." Was all she could manage to say.

"Wh-What the hell are you wearing?" he yelled jumping back and pointing at her. She looked down at herself and quickly wrapped her arms around herself.

"Stop staring you pervert!" She yelled at him. Rin's eyes instantly went up to her face and a scarlet blush appeared all over his face.

"I-I'm sorry, but when you come out wearing something like that how can you not expect me to stare!" he retorted blush deepening.

"Where did Nagisa, and Makoto, and everyone else go!" she asked.

"How am I supposed to know! You were going to show them this!" he said motioning to her outfit.

"No. I didn't pick this out! Nagisa did! Just leave I don't want you to see me like this!" she closed the curtain and turned away, quickly stripping off the swimsuit and changing back into her clothes.

Rin knew she wasn't planning on coming out until she knew he was gone so he just sighed, shook his head and walked off. He hated admitting to himself, but she looked extremely sexy and he was glad that Makoto or Nagisa or even Haru for that matter didn't get to catch her like that.

Soon enough, Tomoe heard the voices of her friends and came out fully dressed. "Aw you didn't like the one I picked out?" Nagisa whined.

"Um it was a little too…revealing. I think I'll just go with something sporty for now. She looked at all the bathing suits they'd picked out and took the black one from Haru's hands. It was still a bikini, but so much less revealing. It actually held her breasts in and didn't show her butt cheeks. "Thanks Haru." She smiled. "I'm going to go pay for this." With that she walked off toward the register.

That night Rin lay awake in his bed thinking about Tomoe. He hadn't written her in over 3 years. Then he didn't want to go see her when he came back. He felt like shit. He'd only seen her twice now and each time he'd done something wrong. Hell, he'd done something wrong by not writing her all those years. The problem was that he couldn't write her back. He had nothing to say to her. That didn't mean he didn't want to be with her though. She was still the same girl he fell in love with back then, but he didn't know how to make her love him again. He had no idea how to express his feelings at all anymore. Plus, that talk with Haru had made him even more down. He wanted her, why was he such a dick when he just wanted her back.


	7. Should've Gone With The Turtle

**I guess I'm uploading all of my chapters at once. This chapter gives some insight on Tomoe's past and I think everyone who's watched the anime knows what's coming next. The deserted island training camp.**

 **Disclaimer: Blah, blah I don't own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club or characters blah, blah, Tomo's mine.**

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"Deserted island training camp?" Tomoe asked again as they walked home from school together. Tomoe took a bite of her chocolate flavored ice cream. Her and Rin used to fight over who would get the last chocolate ice cream. Tomoe always won.

"Yeah but Miss. Ama-chan said that we couldn't afford it." Nagisa said solemnly. "And I really wanted to go to a deserted island with everyone. If the school won't pay for it we can try to pay for it ourselves." He said taking a bite of his own ice cream.

"I can't afford it. We had to pay for the tracksuits ourselves, and I bought a nonspeedo swimsuit." Rei explained.

"I also bought a swimsuit." Haru chimed in.

"Same here." Nagisa said.

"Rei-kun needed a swimsuit. The rest of you didn't especially you Haruka-senpai. All of your swimsuits look the same." Gou scolded.

"They all fit differently." Haru responded and Gou just rolled her eyes.

"Even you Tomo, you didn't need one." Tomoe looked away in embarrassment.

"We could all find part time jobs." Nagisa suggested.

"it's too late for that." Rei interjected.

Everyone sighed. "Unfortunately it looks like this plan is a bust." Gou looked down.

"Wait. I'll think of something. There should be a way to hold a training camp without needing any money." Makoto said causing everyone to stop. Tomoe smiled at him, although it was a sad smile.

Nagisa and Gou jumped up to him. "Woahhh. Mako-chan's getting serious!"

"We can always count on our captain!" Gou cheered.

Everyone waited outside for Makoto to get all of his camping supplies out of storage. While they were there Tomoe and everyone paid respects to Makoto's dead goldfish. Then, everyone walked to Haru's house to lay all the stuff out. Makoto sure had a lot of camping supplies. All's they needed was transportation.

In the end, everything seemed to work out as their old swimming coach owned a squid fishing boat and agreed to take everyone there and back for free. Tomoe, Makoto, and Haruka all walked Gou to the station. Tomoe lived only a block away from both of them so they usually walked together these days.

It was close to night and the three of them just stood there, watching her go until Makoto told them to go. On the route home Tomoe had to pick up some supplies for the trip before they left so she left the boys for the grocery store. Tomoe had asked Makoto to come back later to help her pack, but she just wanted to ask him something without anyone else around.

It was almost 8 when she heard a rapping on her door. Quickly she went to answer it and Makoto stood smiling from ear to ear. "Come on in Mako-chan I just made some tea." She smiled at him. Makoto had only been in here three times now. He only knew where it was because he'd walked her home a couple of times when she got lost. He hadn't been inside much.

She already had a duffel bag packed and against the wall, but what shocked him was the large amount of surfboards she had resting on the floor and against the wall. Those had not been there before. "I really need your help picking one to take with me tomorrow! It's just so hard to choose." She said smiling from ear to ear.

"How do you have so many?" he asked in awe. Makoto set his drink down to study the large amount of surfboards. There must've been 10 or more sprawled out in the tiny sitting room. Some were outside. "Where were you keeping these?"

"I keep them in that closet and in my room." She smiled sipping on her chai tea. "I just acquired them from my parents and over the years. They seemed to have added up." Tomoe scratched the back of her neck. "Makoto." She suddenly became serious. "Are you going to be alright going on this trip? I'm not one to intrude, but it would worry me if you were uncomfortable and just hiding it from all of us." She explained.

Makoto stopped and turned to her, a kind grin on his face. "Thank you for worrying about me Tomoe, but I'm fine really. It's all in the past I'll be fine." He placed a hand on her head ruffling her hair a little. This caused her face to turn a slight pink shade. "Now how about these surf boards." He started to shuffle through them looking at the colors and the designs as well as the wear and tear on each of them.

It was quiet for a long time. Then, he pulled out a surfboard it looked rather new, in fact it was actually a couple years old except she hadn't used it yet. It was a circular board wider at the top than at the bottom and had a flat edge on the tail. It had the three fins protruding from the bottom and was painted a glossy red color with black stripes. Overall it looked menacing, like it could tear through any wave. "This one looks like it's fast in the water." Makoto remarked.

A melancholic smile passed over her face. "Ah, Rin picked that one out 5 years ago. He said he was looking forward to riding it with me when summer came, but that was the year he left. We never got to ride it together. It hasn't been used yet." She explained remembering how Rin forced her to use her allowance to buy that particular board. She wanted to use her saved up money on a pet turtle, but Rin promising to ride it with her sounded way more fun than some stupid little turtle. Thinking back on it, she should've gone with the turtle.

"Oh, sorry." He said putting it back.

"No it's fine. I think I'll take this one. It's one of my favorites. My dad gave it to me." She said grabbing a worn out gun style board. She liked using it because it was one of the first ones she learned how to ride. It glided along waves easily and could cut into them like butter. The base was a white racing stripe with a golden strip going down the middle, and the two sides on the face of the board were colored blue like the ocean. The paint had worn away over the years so it was more of a light blue now. It had three blue fins sticking out of the bottom like a regular board.

"You know I forgot that you surf Tomoe." Makoto said taking a look at more boards.

"I don't think I've been in a couple of years. I kind of gave it up when my parents left." She shrugged.

Makoto looked at her confused. "That's right, you live alone. Where are your parents?"

Just then, a breeze rolled through the open doorway and blew her hair back. Tomoe looked down, her hair hiding her face. "They died." Two words. He'd never known that her parents had died. He'd feel bad going into detail, but he needed to know more.

"When?" he asked.

"Um…I guess it's been 2 years now." His eyes widened in shock even more. "Before I entered high school. They were still divorced by then, but had decided to meet up to take me out to dinner for my 15th birthday. It was the first time they'd been together in over 4 years. Then…someone happened to be driving drunk on the wrong side of the road. My dad swerved and hit a tree and I was the only survivor."

Makoto remembered the day back in middle school. They'd been a week into school and Tomoe had come back with glass cuts along her body and a broken arm from where she slammed against the door. She was lucky to come back so unscathed. He never knew what happened, they had been in different homerooms, but now he knew the reason why.

"I-I never knew." Was Makoto's response. He didn't know what to say. "Did Rin know about this?" he asked.

Tomoe looked up, tears brimmed her eyes. "Of course not. If I told him he would try and come back. He was so focused on becoming an Olympic swimmer I didn't want to ruin his dreams. Then, that's the time that he stopped writing me back." She wiped away her tears. Here she was crying in front of Mako talking about her problems when she called him over her to talk about his. "You know Makoto you're really easy to talk to."

"That's what everyone always says. I guess I'm just a good listener." He scratched his head.

"You're the only one that knows, except for Haru because he was in my class at the time." She smiled. "Please, don't tell anyone."

"I won't I promise." He said.

"You probably need to get some sleep. We both have to wake up early tomorrow. Sorry to keep you so late." Tomoe got up.

"It's fine, I just like seeing that you're doing ok." Makoto said smiling from ear to ear. He was such a sweet guy. She was beyond surprised that he didn't already have a girlfriend. Any girl would be lucky to have him. She hoped that when he did get a girlfriend it was someone who deserved him.


	8. This Is Free

**So, this is finally getting into the good part of the story, well I think it's the good part you guys might not. Hopefully by this point I'll have some people reviewing and following, but I'm just hoping. Hope you Enjoy this next one.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free! but Tomoe is mineeeeeeeeeee.**

The next morning Tomoe woke up early, showered and was out the door with her board and duffel bag. She was just like Haru, wearing her new black swimsuit underneath her clothes. After Miss. Ama arrived they set off on the squid fishing boat to their deserted island.

The whole ride there Rei looked like he was going to be sick and when they finally landed on the island he ran for the bathroom. Tomoe helped everyone unpack the heavy boxes and bags. "I'll go look for a campsite." Miss. Ama said.

"I'll go with you Miss. Ama-chan." Tomoe said walking off with her. "Hmm. Where can we have the boys set up their tents? It should probably be close to where we are staying." She thought aloud.

"How about somewhere on the beach, but toward the top so the tents don't get carried away when the tide comes in?" Tomoe said. She stopped for a second and looked out. The deep blue water was practically calling her name. this place had some killer waves far off in the distance. The foaming white caps that curled along the waves edges were so magnificent against the teal waters' edge. She wanted to ride the tube to see the inside of the wave. Tomoe wanted it just like Haru wanted to be in the water all the time.

"Tomo-chan. Why don't you go ahead and get in. I'm sure the boys won't need you to help them to set up their tents. I can take your bag to the room." Tomoe turned to her teacher her face beaming and she ran off, stripping off her clothes like Haru usually did. She ran over and grabbed her surf board from the pile of bags they brought with them and sprinted toward the water.

Miss. Ama watched as she tore through the water, laying flat on her board as she paddled roughly ahead. She smiled. Tomoe was where she was happiest, surfing with her dad.

"Huh? Where'd Tomo go?" Makoto asked as they came back from checking out the island.

"She went on ahead in the water. I didn't think you needed her for anything." Ama said looking out. Tomoe was way out and getting farther away along the beach riding any waves she could catch.

When she first swam out there she was a little sloppy. She hadn't been surfing in years. Once she got the hang of it again, she was off ripping waves, riding the tube, and even trying some new stuff that left her diving into the water and coming up laughing at how silly she was being. To be on the beach, to be back on the waves was relaxing and invigorating at the same time. This was like what Haru always said about swimming. When Haru swam freestyle he was free. For Tomoe, being on the waves; that was her free.

The good waves were far away from where they made camp which was good because that meant it wouldn't interfere with the boys swimming, but it also meant a longer trek for her to make back. She was going to spend all day out there though.

The Samezuka swim team broke for lunch which gave them time to rest up and eat for part 2 of their training. Rin enjoyed the beach and decided to take a small walk he had just hit the beach before something caught his eye. Someone was actually out in the water, but they weren't swimming, they were riding the waves.

That reminded him of Tomoe. She was always quite the surfer. Rin could swim all he wanted, but Tomoe could shred the water to pieces on a surfboard. They used to ride a longboard together. Tomoe would steer while Rin paddled them out. They'd ride miniscule waves and fall off together. It was one of his favorite pastimes with her.

It made him feel all melancholic inside. In fact, the surfer happened to be coming ashore, probably for a rest before going out again. The person collapsed on the beach, breathing heavily up and down. They happened to be a woman, her board laying next to her. Rin walked forward hoping to see who exactly this woman was and then he caught sight of the short vibrant minty colored hair. It really was Tomo.

Suddenly, he found his legs running forward. He wanted to surf with her like they used to. Rin had the sudden urge to get on the board with her. He'd paddle out while she would steer the board. They'd both struggle to stand up together but once they got up they'd be free together.

"Tomoe!" he yelled. She sat up and with a shocked face she started at him. "Come on, lets surf together like old times." For once Rin was smiling. Tomoe didn't want to believe that he was here. Wasn't this place supposed to be for tourists or something. How? Why was Rin here?

"R-Rin? Am I hallucinating? Do I have heatstroke?" she asked standing up.

"No, Samezuka is training here I can't believe you're here. You're surfing. Come on Tomoe I'll paddle and you steer. Just like when we were kids." He picked up her board and was eager to go.

Tomoe thought about it for a moment. Rin really was right in front of her. This was all she ever wanted. She just wanted to surf with Rin again, that's what she asked for last night. Now he opportunity was presenting itself to her. Why not give him a chance? "Ok, lets go." She smiled at him.

The both raced off in the water Tomoe sat in front like always and Rin in the back. She was glad she brought the larger gun board rather than one of her smaller ones. They fit perfectly together on the board. Rin paddled them out his strong arms propelling them faster than she ever could. They both turned at the sight of the wave and as if in sync both stood up on the larger wave. Tomoe steered them forward and feeling the salty spray of the wave was more than enough to make her happy, but feeling the heat of Rin behind her made her even happier than ever before. When she was sliding on the water with Rin it felt like nothing bad had happened. Things between them had vanished on the water.

It was the same feeling for Rin too. It was like all his problems vanished as he looked in front of him and all's he could see was her smiling face as she shredded the waves. He wanted to love her again. He wanted her to love him. Slowly, Rin snaked his arms around her holding her close. This took Tomoe by surprise and she turned her head slightly to look at him, that's when his lips came into contact with hers, joining them together again. It was perfect.

 **SFX: BOOM, CRACKLE, SNAP**

Tomoe woke with a start. She sat up in her bed and looked out the window. It was raining outside and pitch black. "It was…only a dream?" she asked herself holding her head. It had felt so real, but after she came in from a long day of surfing there was no Rin waiting for her on the beach. She should've know Rin wasn't that nice though. He was never that happy anymore.

Tomo looked down at her wrist, the red bracelet still in place. Why did she wear this thing? She couldn't bring herself to get rid of it? That might've been the reason. Just then, lightning lit up the entire room followed by a crack of thunder and she jumped 10 feet in the air. All of her hair stood on end. Thunderstorms scared her more than anything in the world and she quickly cowered underneath her blanket, frozen in fear.

Rin lay awake that night, listening to the torrent of rain on the roof and the crackle of thunder. He hoped that Mako, Haru, Nagisa, and that new guy were all ok camping out on the beach. Yes he actually cared for their safety. Something else had taken over his mind though.

Every time the thunder clapped and the lightning flashed he could just see Tomoe shaking all alone in the darkness. He knew she was terrified of thunderstorms. In fact he was the one who was always there to comfort her during the thunderstorms. He'd make her feel better by making her angry and having her yell at him just so she could take her mind off of it. It only worked for a little while before she'd get scared again. Tomoe was supposed to be on the island, he hoped that she was ok, and that she wasn't alone.

There was always a beautiful sunrise after a tormenting night. It was especially true after this night that the sun was out and shining more beautifully than before. There was no doubt in her mind that the storms would be back sometime or another. Tomoe went out to the water, being the first one awake and saw all four of the boys asleep on the beach as she sun rose. Everyone looked so peaceful obviously they didn't get that much sleep with the storm either. Tomoe smiled at them knowing they were obviously working so hard that they were worn out.

As the next couple of days passed she helped the boys with training and to improve their time. On the second to last day she could feel a storm was going to come in, so she had to get some surfing in at the crack of dawn. It was like surfers intuition, they all knew when a storm was coming and when the waves would be good.

She was right. Dark clouds started to form towards sundown and Tomo hadn't realized it until the waves became a little more choppy. She was far, far away from the boys or the lodge so she knew she had to get back soon or she'd be stuck in the storm. The rain had started as soon as she hit land. It seemed to come down hard, cascading like a wall of ice onto her back and shoulders. She put her board above her head to shield her form the rain as she looked around for the lodge. In the sheets after sheets of rain one couldn't make anything out, but she had to get back soon before the thunder came. After that she was a gonner.

Rin had stopped by the tents of the boys as rain started to pour down. "Haru, where's Tomo I know she's here?" he said to the boy trying to shield himself from the torrential downpour.

"We saw her come in, but I don't know if she made it back to the lodge yet." Mako said trying to cover himself as well.

"You mean she's not back yet?" Rin's blood seemed to freeze in his veins. The thought of Tomoe still out there in this storm made him want to yell and scream and pound the earth. The thought that she wasn't _safe_ made fear curl up his spine and wrap itself around his heart. He knew how she was during storms like this, a complete mess of tears and shaking limbs.

Before even sparing another second Rin tore down the beach, digging his feet into the sand and propelling himself forward. He didn't care if his lungs burned or froze up from the rain, he didn't care if the lactic acid in his quads made him want to scream, no he just needed to find Tomoe and make sure she was alright.


	9. Broken Pieces

**So, pretty sure this is one of my longest chapters so far. I just didn't know where to end it, so i tried to find a stopping point. This is a more emotional chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Free! yadda yadda only own Tomoe.**

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Tomoe wasn't sure where she was going, she assumed she was heading the right way down the beach, but the whole thing got her turned around. She was starting to feel fear creep up her spine at the thought she might be stuck outside in a storm like this, where thunder and lightning were just waiting to catch her by surprise.

She felt like a child with no sense of direction or bearing. It was disorienting, confusing, and dizzying. Suddenly, the loud snap of thunder ripped through her brain and lighting made a shadow against the sand. Instantly Tomo's knees buckled under her and she fell to the ground pure terror overtaking her as violent waves of fear rolled through her. She screamed as another clap of thunder broke the sound barrier leaving her grasping for any kind of hiding place.

From far away Rin heard a high pitched scream, a scream that could only belong to Tomoe and with new found energy, Rin sprinted forward toward the sound. He could hear her wailing as he got closer and closer, the sound of her terror filled cries filled his ears and practically made his heart break in half.

Finally he saw the girl, just squatting close to the top of the beach, a large surf board providing any kind of shelter to the rain and lighting. "Tomoe!" he yelled running toward her shaking form. She instantly recognized the voice and her head shot up. Eyes wide and brimmed with tears she looked at Rin as if he were an angel sent to save her.

As soon as he got within 5 feet of her, another clap of thunder met her ears and she leaped forward and into his arms. Rin caught her easily and took as much of her body into him in order to shelter her from the storm. She was crying into his chest and he could feel her shaking. It wasn't shaking because of the icy rain, it was the feeling of terror welling up inside her.

Rin clutched her head and pushed it against his chest with his other arm strapped around her lower back. "Sh. Sh. It's ok. I'm here. You're ok now Tomo." He whispered into her hair. "We need to find somewhere to wait out the storm. Can you walk?" he asked. he peered down to see her legs were also violently shaking.

Quickly he scooped her up bridal style and started up to the pavement. He looked for familiar landmarks, but they were pretty far from lodges. Suddenly, he spotted an old boat shack and tested the door. It swung open easily and Rin barged in, opting to leave her surfboard under some brush so that they could get it in the morning.

Tomoe looked in bad shape. Both of them were dripping wet and Rin hadn't realized till now, but her nails had been digging into his back and neck as she clung on for dear life. He threw his sopping wet jacket around her and pulled a boat tarp over both of their heads.

Slowly she opened her eyes and they adjusted to the darkness. Water droplets dripped onto her nose as she looked up to see Rin's red hair dripping onto her. The sound of rain hitting the wooden shack made the silence more bearable as she stared up at him. He really was here with her, and he went searching through the storm for her.

"Rin." She started to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let her try to be strong in this situation. He knew her well enough to know that she was absolutely terrified especially the way she acted before. Quickly, he wrapped his strong naked biceps around her and pulled her in close to him, hoping to create some warmth too.

"I was so worried about you." He said aloud. She was shocked to hear that he was actually worried about her. That he genuinely cared. She was about to retort with something but the snap of lightning made her shriek as Rin pulled her even closer, rubbing her back as she wound her arms around him. "You're safe as long as you're with me." he rubbed her arms up and down trying to get some warmth into her.

He looked longingly at the bracelet around her wrist as she heard her utter the words he was longing to hear. "Don't let go Rin." He wasn't planning to even if she wanted him to. Rin had her in his arms again, and he never wanted to let go.

They sat in there until the rain reverted into a small pitter patter against the roof. Rin looked down at the girl laying in his arms. she fell asleep once the thunder and lightning had died down, but Rin had been in and out of sleep ever since then. Every time he looked down he felt a blush tint his cheeks as he realized he would be watching her sleep in his arms. Still he couldn't help himself. She still slept the same, in a tight ball cuddling something, whether it was a pillow or even him for that matter. Her face was also very peaceful and content when she was sleeping, but he noticed that whenever she was dreaming she had a concentrated look on her face, a small scowl if you will as her nose sometimes crinkled cutely.

When sunlight streamed through the window he knew it was morning and it was time to go. He had practice, but couldn't bring himself to wake her up. He knew that when he woke her up, she'd probably get defensive and they'd start fighting again. It was just how they were. Rin honestly didn't want it that way and neither did Tomo, but that's just how they were.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of someone around her made her sigh in pleasure and pull the warmth closer. This brought Rin by surprise, but he was complacent in letting her stay as long as she wanted. Finally, he looked down to see her staring up at him meadow green eyes filled with shock and confusion. She wasn't moving though, Tomoe liked laying in Rin's arms, it felt safe, it felt natural.

"Rin am I dreaming?" it was the same question she asked when she had the dream about them last night.

"Tomoe, you're not dreaming, I'm here." Rin smiled down at her. Tomo reached a hand up and touched his face, feeling along his cheekbone to check if he really was here. Suddenly, she jumped up.

"Why? Why did you come after me you didn't need to, I can handle myself Rin!" she yelled running out of the little shack. The sun practically blinded her as she stepped outside. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the weather was perfect. She must be dreaming. She had no idea where she was though and she didn't know where to go.

Rin quickly followed after her, also getting partially blinded by the rising sun. "Tomoe you're not that strong! If I hadn't come and found you you would've been crying and afraid and all alone without me." Rin yelled to her as she started to walk off in the wrong direction. "You're just going to get lost if you keep running around like that." He ran up to her and grabbed her arm before she headed in the wrong direction.

"Let go Rin I want to go home. I don't need your help." She said.

"Hell, why'd I come and find you if you're just going to act like this! No thanks for saving you when I know you're terrified of thunderstorms! I liked you better when you held onto me with fear and told me not to let you go! You always need my help" he mocked her and her face turned cherry red.

"I did not say that." She said quietly looking at the ground.

"It was pretty heart filling too. You clung to me like a puppy and then you told me to never let go. Much cuter than how you're acting right now." Tomoe closed her eyes. She felt like hitting him.

"Why don't you just save us both the trouble and next time, don't go looking for me." she scoffed.

"You know I can't do that!" Rin barked at her the glare on his face staring her down.

"Why not Rin?" she retorted back.

"Because I know you Tomoe! I know how scared you get! I know how strong you try to be when your whole body is shaking to the core! I can't stand to see you like that! You don't always have to put on a strong face Tomo! Why don't you let someone else be strong for you!" he went off on a tangent, letting everything he'd wanted to say pour out of his mouth.

It was true. She always tried to act so strong when Rin was right there ready to be strong for her. He wanted her to know that she didn't have to do that for herself. Rin was happy being there for her, being the one she could fall back on. Her next sentence hit him straight in the heart though. "Why don't I let someone else be strong for me? Because Rin, after you left all's I had was myself. I had no other choice but to be strong for myself. You weren't there Rin, you weren't, your letters weren't, nothing was there, nobody was there to be strong for me Rin." Those words were like a cold slap in the face. It stung even when she hadn't done anything.

"Haru, and Mako." He started in a level voice.

"They weren't you! Before you left you were there for me every single time! Then you just went off and forgot about me like you promised you wouldn't! How the hell is that supposed to make me feel! I'll tell you, it makes me feel alone, and it's your god damn fault!" she yelled back. Rin's red eyes widened in shock. Then he remembered, her surfboard. Quickly he went and got it out from under the bushes and looked at it. his hands were shaking as he clutched it.

Tomoe couldn't blame him for not being there for her. He hated not being there for her why couldn't she get that he missed her just as much as she missed him. Rin was angry that she could just write him off like that. That she could blame him for everything that happened. He tried to do everything for her and she didn't understand just how much he cared about her.

She just watched him as he held her surfboard in his hands. "Give me my board!" she yelled running to take it away from him. In that moment Rin felt utter rage. He couldn't stand her at this point and wanted to hit something.

"No!" he screamed at her yanking her surfboard away from her. In one swift movement he brought it over his knee and snapped it right in half. There was silence, complete and utter silence. At first she was too shocked to move. Then, tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her already wet cheeks.

"How could you Rin." She said quietly wiping her face. She looked like a child who'd just scraped her knee. "Why are you so mean?" she asked.

"Because you're being mean to me Tomoe!" he yelled throwing the two pieces aside. He watched as she scrambled for them, pushing him out of the way as she collected the two pieces of her broken board. Rin hadn't understood the gravity of what he'd just done to her. He might've just ripped her heart out and cut it into pieces and that might've been less painful than what he'd just done.

Tomoe cried as she clutched the pieces. Then, something in her snapped like her board did. She jumped onto Rin, tears spilling from her eyes. He was caught off guard and fell to the ground, as she straddled him. That's when she threw a punch to his face that caught him right in the jaw. She wasn't very strong so it didn't hurt that much, but just the shock that she'd actually try to hurt him took his breath away.

She proceeded to punch him again on the other side and this time Rin reached to stop her and grab her wrists. "I broke your stupid board so what!" he yelled to her. It was like she wasn't listening to him, but she broke her hands free and started to scratch at his face his chest anywhere she could try to hurt him.

Suddenly she was lifted off him and pulled back by two strong arms that she recognized. "Tomoe what are you doing!" Makoto yelled holding her back as she tried to force herself free. Haruka stepped in front of her while Nagisa went to help Rin up.

"He broke it! He broke my surfboard! It's all his fault that things are so screwed up! I hate you Rin! I HATE YOU!" she screamed taking off the red bracelet he gave her and throwing it at him. Rin could only look back at her as he rubbed his face checking for any broken skin or blood. At this point he didn't even really care anymore. He was done with her. She was throwing a hissy-fit over a surfboard it didn't make sense.

"Tomoe let's go back to the lodge and eat sweets ok?" Nagisa tried to coax the girl out of her rage, but she looked past him to aim her hatred at Rin.

"Haru, Nagisa, Rei, Tomoe, you all go back without me." Makoto said releasing the girl to Haru who held her hand like an iron vicegrip. Haru didn't show much emotion, but he knew when things got bad, and if he let her go, things would get very bad.


	10. Muscles Are Gross

**Ok, you guys might think Makoto is acting out of character in this chapter. I honestly don't seeing as he's acting protective of his friend, but if you think otherwise you have the freedom to tell me in the reviews.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free!: Iwatobi Swim Club Tomo-chan is mine!**

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Rin had his back partially turned to Makoto. He was in no mood for talking. "Rin." Makoto started. "I know that Tomoe can be a brat, and hard to deal with." He sighed rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know how you changed over in Australia, but you did not become a person to hurt someone you love." He explained.

"I don't love her anymore." He clarified.

"I don't believe that Rin. You wouldn't have gone into that storm to look for her if you didn't love her." Mako said.

"That might've been yesterday, but she blames me for everything. She doesn't appreciate one thing that I do for her and she just doesn't see everything I've tried to do for her. She didn't need to get all angry that I broke her stupid surfboard. She needed a little shock to set her straight." Rin almost smirked.

Makoto stepped up to him and grabbed him by the tank top he was wearing. When Rin looked into his green eyes he saw anger, pure protective anger. "You have no idea how much that board means to her Rin. You wouldn't know because she never told you." Rin had never seen Makoto this pissed off.

He grabbed Mako's wrists to try to give him some leverage. "It's an old board that was on the verge of breaking anyway. It didn't mean anything." He really had no idea.

"Tomoe's dad gave her that board Rin. It was his and you should remember it too."

"She can just go get another one from him." That's when Makoto finally snapped.

"She can't 'just go get another one from him' Rin! Do you know why! Because two years ago TOMOE'S PARENTS DIED!" That sentence made him swallow hard. How had he not known about this. "She's allowed to be bitter and sad and strong because she had nobody to depend on since her 15th birthday. Right around the time that you stopped writing to her. How alone do you think she felt Rin, without her parents, without her best friend, like everyone had turned their backs and abandoned her?" he asked glad that Rin had finally shut up.

"I lost my dad too." He started.

"You didn't even know your dad! You lost him at such a young age! Tomoe spent 15 years of her life with her parents and they were taken away upon impact! Both of them!" Rin was appalled. Why had she been keeping this from him for so long. All this time he thought her mom was married to Mikoshiba's uncle. Why wasn't he invited to a funeral or anything of the sort.

"Why didn't she tell me?" he asked solemnly, his long hair hiding his eyes.

"She didn't want you to lose sight of your dream back then. No matter how much she wanted you to come home, she couldn't be selfish and bring you back. Because she knew at the first sentence of that letter you would try and come for her. She could never do that to you because she loved you." Makoto explained hoping that he would see the truth behind her actions.

"I see." Was all Rin said. Makoto had released him and Rin turned to walk away, without so much as another word. Makoto sighed. That was probably one of the first time's he'd actually gotten angry. Slowly, he bent down to pick up the two broken pieces of the surfboard.

The boys were just loading the luggage onto the squid fishing boat for them to depart. Makoto wished that they didn't have to leave on such a bad note, but it was true. What he didn't expect was Mrs. Ama and Kou coming down the beach with trays of food for all of them.

"Why don't we end this trip with a last hurrah!" Miss. Ama said pumping her fist up in the air. They'd brought down plates of lobster, crab legs, shrimp, muscles, and even grilled mackerel for everyone to chow down on.

Nagisa was the first to the table attacking the food. The rest followed along, grateful for the great banquet. Everyone was there except for Tomoe. She was down at the waters' edge, letting the salt water lap at her bare feet. She felt broken inside, utterly useless and powerless. Her whole body was tired and she didn't want to move.

Someone sat down next to her. She didn't even look to see who it was, but knew that it was Makoto along with a plate of food. "I know you feel bad now, but once we get off this island everything will go back to normal." He smiled at her and then handed her the plate stacked with lobster and crab. "Now eat up it's the last celebration." Makoto started to get up as did Tomoe feeling a little bit better that this was in fact their last day.

"Yay Tomo-chan is going to eat with us! Tomo-chan do you want a muscle!" Nagisa yelled thrusting the slimy, gross, shelled animal at her. He saw green flash across her face.

"N-No thank you." She stuttered with a nervous chuckle.

"Tomo you don't like muscles! They're delicious." Gou said slurping one up. Tomo felt shivers radiate up her spine as she cringed and stuck out her tongue.

"Of course you'd think muscles were delicious Gou! How can anything that gross and slimy be delicious?" she said pushing the whole plate away from her.

"Have you ever tried it?" Makoto asked taking one himself.

"No and I don't plan on it." she said stubbornly.

"Come on Tomo, don't be picky." Nagisa said as Makoto came at her, muscle in hand.

"No way Mako! Don't you dare come near me with that thing! It's gross!" she shrieked as Makoto neared her face. She grabbed his strong arm with both her hands to try and get him to back away.

Everyone laughed at her and Makoto finally let off and slurped down the muscle. Tomoe stuck to cracking crab legs and eating lobster in delicious butter sauce. Now _that_ was heaven. It was nearly sunset when everyone was full and ready to go back.

As soon as they were back on land everyone started to head off in the direction of their houses. Tomoe walked along with Makoto and Haruka. She didn't feel like talking to either one of them, she just wanted to get home and into her own room.

Tomoe lived right near Haruka and Makoto so they dropped him off and then it was just Tomoe and Haruka. She was glad that he wasn't much of a talker, even though it did make things awkward. Haru opted to walk her to her door which was a couple of houses down from his. As they stopped in front of her door Tomoe felt like she had to say something.

"You really improved your time Haru. I'm proud of you." She smiled awkwardly.

"Don't give up on Rin." Was all Haru said taking her wrist and slipping on the red bracelet she threw at Rin earlier.

"Haru. When did you?" she asked looking at it in shock. Haru was already walking back to his house though, refusing to answer her question. Tomoe clutched her wrist, wondering if she should really keep it or chuck it as far as she could.


	11. What Happened?

**This is sort of a filler chapter I promise the next one will be better!**

 **Disclaimer: Free!: Iwatobi Swim Club doesn't belong to me sadly. Tomo does.**

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Rin stood at Haru's door. He rang the doorbell over and over, but there was no answer. Finally, knowing that Haru kept his door unlocked he went in. Haruka's back porch was open and there was a single goldfish in the bowl swimming around freely. That's when he heard the bells chime and footsteps behind him.

He turned to find Haru. "What are you doing here Rin?" he asked.

"I've come to challenge you to a race of course." Rin said smirking.

"I only swim free." Haru said but it seemed ominous and Haru turned to walk out.

Rin of course followed him only to be blinded by a flash of light and suddenly, they were at a pool. Rin was looking at Haru who had taken a starting block. "Come on." Haru said nonchalantly.

He was about to go, but suddenly, he saw a young boy holding a trophy. "Dad?" he asked the kid who was smiling. The boy turned and started running, and Rin took off after him. "Dad wait!"

The scene changed as he ran through a tunnel. Sailor all walking in rows toward the beach and Rin ran through them, chasing his dad and pushing any of them out of the way. That's when he stopped and looked back to see his younger self and Gou following them. Young Rin turned around and mouthed something to Rin and his eyes widened.

Then, he heard the wheels of a car screech as a horn honked loudly and his head whipped around to see a car coming right at him. Just before it came into impact with him he saw who was inside. A man, a woman, and young Tomoe in the back seat who screamed and covered her eyes.

That's when Rin woke up, a cold sweat had already moistened his forehead and he felt like he might be sick. Rin sat up and Ai walked up to his bed. "Rin-sempai. Are you alright? Were you having a nightmare?" he asked as Rin looked up at him, still shaken up. It was as if all of his bad thoughts were compiling into one big nightmare on his shoulders.

The four boys sat on the roof eating their lunches. Everything was relatively quiet until Gou and Tomo opened the door and walked over to them. "Look guys. I printed the pictures from the training camp." She said happily laying them out for everyone to see. Tomoe had yet to see all the pictures and hurriedly looked at them.

She laughed at the one of Nagisa and Haruka with their goggles on and everyone shared a chuckle at Nagisa putting on Rei's floaties. "Ne-look at Tomo-chan on the waves! She looks so cool." Nagisa passed around a picture showing Tomoe just coming out of the tube of a teal colored wave. The smile on her face was absolutely blissful as she touched the tube.

"That's really cool. You're a great photographer Gou." Tomoe complemented. Gou just blushed and shrugged it off, happy with her compliment.

"What about this one?" Makoto said and Tomoe looked at it. looking closely one could see Makoto's brown sandy hair and Tomoe's mint colored locks.

"That was from the last day I couldn't help it the moment was perfect!" Gou said speaking as if it were some kind of great art form. Tomoe smiled and looked up to see Makoto smiling down at her and then quickly turning his eyes to the picture.

"Isn't that Samezuka swim team?" Nagisa asked picking up a picture. It was the back of someone, but even from here Tomoe could tell it was Rin.

There were more of them of Mikoshiba and Aichirou, but Tomoe just picked up the one of Rin and stared at it. She wanted to rip it into pieces and throw them off the side of the building, but opted not to and set it back into the pile.

Haru picked it up and Tomoe drowned out Gou's statistics as she talked. She wasn't in the mood to be around anyone right now. Slowly, she got up and went to stand by the roof's edge.

"Captain Mikoshiba, can I talk to you?" Rin asked walking up to his fiery haired captain. Seijuro noticed Rin's serious demeanor and followed him into the locker rooms. "What happened to Tomoe's parents." He came right out and said it. He needed to know if what Makoto said was true.

"Ah. That." Seijuro talked as if it were something so nonchalant it was just a distant memory. "It happened on Tomo's 15th birthday. Both her parents decided to see each other and take her out to a nice family dinner. They were on the way to the restaurant and it was late at night. Apparently there was a drunk driver on the wrong side of the road. Her father swerved and they hit a tree going 60mph. They died on impact, but Tomoe was in the back seat so when the car hit and spun off to the side she got the least of the damage. They almost couldn't get her out though because her hair was caught between the ripped metal of the door. They had to cut most of it off." Seijuro didn't like to talk about it much, it brought up bad memories.

Rin stood there, taking it all in. It was just like the end of his dream. "You didn't know about it Rin. I figured that-." He started.

"No I didn't know about it. Tomoe didn't feel like telling me because she didn't want me to come home for her. Even though I would have in a heartbeat." He pounded his fist on a locker.

"Tomoe hasn't been the same ever since that accident Rin. She really does need someone like you in her life. Even though she makes you think she doesn't, she really does." He explained like he already knew about the fight and everything.

"Until you resolve things with her I think you should only take on one event for the prelims. I'm saying this as your captain not as her cousin. I don't think you can handle so many events at once right now." He stated grimly. Rin only nodded and went back out to practice.


	12. Still Love

**This one's longer. Don't know why.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free!**

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It was the day of prelims and everyone was ready to head out. Everyone except for Tomoe who promised them that she'd be there before the first race began. She'd gotten a text last night telling her to go to the Matsuoka family grave, yet she'd decided not to tell anyone about it because she didn't want someone coming there with her.

The sun was in the top of the sky when she made it there, the wind whipped all around her and she looked at the grave that held Rin's father. Tomoe bowed to pay her respects to him and looked around for someone. "I didn't think you'd come." Rin's voice said as he walked up the hill. Tomoe turned to face him.

She was silent. She didn't want to say anything until she heard what he had to say to her. There was an awkward silence between the two and then Rin spoke. "Makoto told me about your parents Tomoe." He started and her eyes went wide. "I didn't know what I was doing when I broke your board. I just wanted to hurt you and I didn't know why either. I guess I wanted you to know how frustrated you made me when I was only trying to get you to love me again. Because Tomoe, I still love you." Those words reverberated through her ears over and over again as her face turned to shock. 'I still love you, I still love you, I still love you.' "I didn't mean to leave you all alone, especially after what happened and I wouldn't have if I had known that you'd just lost your parents. Over in Australia I got into a depression without you, or Haru, or all my friends. I didn't think anything of it when I didn't write you back anymore, I just didn't want to tell you how bad I felt over in Australia. I know that you didn't want to tell me about your parents because you didn't want me to lose my dream, but I wouldn't have cared about leaving Australia or my dream or anything if I knew that you needed me here." he explained pouring out all his emotions to her. "I'm sorry Tomoe. I'm sorry I'm such an asshole, I'm sorry I didn't write you back, and I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you." He started to keep going, but Tomoe ran forward.

It seemed like the cicadas stopped buzzing, the wind stopped blowing, and oxygen had just stopped going through his lungs. All's he could feel right now was Tomoe. All's he could hear right now was the sound of their heartbeats, uneven and fast paced beating through their chests. All's he could see, was the girl he loved in front of him as she uttered the words he had been longing to hear for 5 years.

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, knowing it was really hard for him to say all that in front of her. "Rin you don't have to apologize I get it. You had no idea and I don't blame you for that. All's I needed to hear from you is that you still loved me." she said tears pricking her eyes. Her face was turning tomato red because that burst of courage left her knees shaking and her backbone melting away in her body. "I love you too Rin." She said touching his face and moving a strand of red hair from his cheek.

Suddenly, Rin pulled her in and did what he wanted to do ever since he laid his eyes on her. He captured her petal pink lips with his, making her gasp in surprise. Tomoe was stiff at first, but she melted into the kiss as Rin cupped her cheek. He finished with a playful nip to her bottom lip with his sharp shark-like teeth. "Now that's what you call a kiss. Come on Tomo. We've got to get to prelims." He said smirking. Rin grabbed her hand and tugged her along, confident in himself now he was ready to win.

Tomoe made it before the first event took place, but Haruka had already left to go change in the locker room. "Tomoe-senpai. Glad you're finally here. the Freestyle races are about to start." Rei said smiling as he saw her coming into the stadium.

"Where did you have to go Tomo-chan?" Nagisa inquired. Tomoe tried to hide her blush as best as possible.

"I had to visit somewhere special." She said quietly. Gou just looked at her and when she caught Tomoe's eye, she winked devilishly. Tomoe froze. 'She couldn't have possibly known?' Tomoe thought.

"Look. Haru-chan is up next." Nagisa said and everyone turned their heads to watch as Haru and Rin walked onto the pool floor. They were both determined to win.

The tension in the air seemed to thicken as they took their places on the starting block. Rin and Haru were in the center lanes, meaning they had equal qualifying times. The whole world seemed like they were holding their breath as the ref told them to take their mark. Then…the buzzer went off and everyone screamed out. GO! The swimmers launched off of the starting blocks like rockets had been strapped to their feet and people started cheering as loud as they could.

Rin and Haru started off about even, but Rin took the lead. It was unthinkable that Haru would be slower in the first leg of the race. Rin ultimately got to the turn first and was already dolphin kicking his way back before Haru even got there. When Haru surfaced again he started to swim faster and faster, getting cheered on by all of his friends and he started to catch up to Rin.

They were neck and neck for the last 20m of the race and when each boy hit the wall they snapped their heads up for the results. Rin Mastuoka—1st. Haruka Nanase—2nd. Haru didn't even qualify.

Rin splashed the water in celebration as his swim team praised him from the stands. Everyone on the Iwatobi swim club was in awe. Haru never lost. Tomoe was happy for Rin, but at the same time was in disbelief that Haru had actually lost.

For a while Haruka didn't come back. All three boys went out to look for him and Tomoe, Gou, Miss. Ama, and Coach Sasabe sat in silence. Gou looked down at the ground, seemingly troubled.

"Don't dwell on it. That's just how sports are." Miss. Ama said putting a hand on her back.

"That's not it." Gou said. "I wanted to watch my brother and Haruka-sempai swim together. But that wasn't what I was expecting."

"I know what you mean." Tomoe added glumly.

Soon, it was Makoto's time to swim and Haru wasn't back yet. Nagisa jumped up "I'm going to look for him!" he yelled and sped off before anyone could catch him.

Makoto was ready to go and dropped into the water. All 8 of them got set up, holding the bars. Then, the buzzer sounded and each swimmer arced back, diving into the water with great speed. Coach Sasabe then started to chant. "Go, go, go ,go, go, go Makoto! Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, Makoto! Win, win, win, win, win, win, Makoto!" each time the other four would chant back as loud as they could. Sasabe even called Rei out for not cheering loud enough and they gave it their all. When Makoto touched the wall, he ended up second. He didn't seem sad about it though, because when he looked in the stands and saw Haru watching him, he smiled.

Next up was Nagisa, who pushed through the water well with his breast stroke, but he didn't qualify either. Even when Rei went, his goggles slipped off of his face and got last.

After all of her team members raced Tomoe left to go find Rin. She searched through the Samezuka crowd of swimmers, but couldn't find his red hair anywhere. Mikoshiba caught eyes with her and knew exactly what she was looking for. He mouthed the words 'on the bus' and she walked toward the exit on the stadium.

It really wasn't her place to go search their bus, but in the end, there was Rin lounging in one of the plushy seats. He looked up to see who was boarding, who had ruined his deep thought. "Tomo." He said rising to a normal posture. She walked to the back of the bus where he was and stood there.

"You did great in your race Rin." She said a little bit glumly.

"Thanks." He said awkwardly. "What happened to cheering on your team?" he asked.

"All of our races are done. We didn't qualify." She sighed.

"Sorry." Rin quietly said. For some reason it was awkward.

"You should really be back in the stands cheering on your team." She said breaking the silence between them.

"I don't really need to. They don't need my help. They've got a whole team backing them." He shrugged his shoulders.

"What about that 1st year, Aichirou who looks like a puppy. He seems to really like you and wants you to cheer for him." she inquired.

"He's fine without me." Rin said. Then, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. "Besides. I have you to keep me company." Tomoe's face blushed deeper than it ever had before. The way Rin had whispered it so huskily almost gave her a nosebleed. She wasn't used to being in situations like this. To think that Rin would be so forward so quickly. Well, it was Rin after all. He actually had a backbone to do these things. "Tomo." He called to her. looking at her with a cocked eyebrow. "Why are you such a tomato?" he asked.

She could feel steam radiating off of her. If it wasn't steam then she was boiling hot. "Are you ok?" he asked. Feeling her forehead.

Tomoe pulled away. "I'm just not used to this ok!" she squeaked in a nervous voice. Rin chuckled in response. He was so smooth and she was just…Tomoe, about to be melted Tomoe if she didn't calm down.

She started to get off of him. "I-I should probably go back to my team…" She smiled at him, still blushing, but not as bad. "I have an obligation to my team, as do you. You can come see me whenever you want." Tomoe got off of him and walked off the bus. Rin pouted as he watched her go. He just wanted her. He already beat Haru and now he could move on from that. He already made up with Tomoe, now he had to share her with the swim team. Why couldn't she just be with him to make up for all the lost time while he was gone?

By sunset, everyone was worn out and depressed. "Well…there is tomorrow." Gou said shyly.

"But, tomorrow is the freestyle and the medley relay." Makoto said and Gou jumped out in front of them and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry. I signed everyone up for the medley relay in secret. I told Ms. Ama-chan about it, but I didn't think Haruka-sempai would want to do it." she admitted.

"We haven't practiced for it at all." Makoto said.

"Let's do it." Rei suddenly interjected. They all looked at him. "I think we should do the relay. We might not have practiced it, but it's our last chance."

"Then we have to tell Haru-chan about it!" Nagisa yelled.

Everyone including Tomoe rushed to Haru's house, but found that his door was locked. "We can enter from upstairs." Mako said and they raced around the back.

"Do you really think we should be doing this?" Rei said in shock

They broke into his house and looked all around, but Haru wasn't home. They sat at his table and waited for him, contemplating what to do. "Why don't we call him?" Nagisa suggested.

Quickly they dialed his number and waited. He didn't respond so they tried to leave him a message. "I'm sorry Haruka-senpai! I signed everyone up for the medley relay!" Gou said and handed the phone to Nagisa.

"Yeah so let's swim together tomorrow Haru-chan." He spoke quickly into the phone.

Then, Rei grabbed it. "I'll be fine! I'll have the theory memorized by tomorrow!" he said

"Rei-chan that's a sure sign that you'll fail!" Nagisa whined.

"I just have to memorize the theory on how not to fail then." He retorted.

Tomoe grabbed the phone and spoke into it. "Haru, this is your last chance to get into finals, and I know as a team you can win the relay." She said, but the message cut off. They hung up the phone.

"Will Haruka-senpai come home after listening to that sloppy message?" Gou asked sighing.

Nagisa, always one to reassure them put a smile on his face. "it'll be fine! Our chaotic message has what it takes to touch Haru-chan deep down!" then, something caught his eye. "Wait…Haru-chan left his cell phone here!" he yelled as everyone looked at the cell phone lying on top of a stack of books.

Makoto then spoke. "Haru usually doesn't carry his phone with him." everyone hung their heads in defeat. "It's getting late anyway. We should head home." Mako smiled. "I don't think Haru will swim tomorrow. We'll have to forfeit." He looked at the ground as well. The air felt heavy. Nobody wanted to believe that, but somehow they already kind of knew.

As the other started to leave, Mako was set on staying there and waiting for him. "Mako-kun, let me stay too. I don't need to go home yet." Makoto couldn't turn the girl down with her determined smile. They decided to wait for him together in the entrance way.

When Haru came home an hour and a half later, he was met with the sight of Makoto sleeping soundly against the wall and Tomoe curled up with her head resting on his thigh. There was something in Mako's hands.

Haru picked up his cellphone with the message on it and listened. He was shocked to hear that they'd signed him up for the relay. He was also blown away with how determined and positive everyone was about the medley relay. They all wanted to do it, and Haru wanted to make his team happy.

Slowly, he shook Makoto's shoulder, being careful not to wake Tomoe as well. "Makoto." He said softly. The green eyed man opened his sleepy eyes and rubbed them, almost forgetting about Tomo until she shifted slightly in her sleep.

"Haru?" he said momentarily forgetting that he was in Haru's house.

"We have to swim the relay right?" Was all he said and Makoto's face lit up.

It was early morning when Tomoe was awoken by the smell of grilled mackerel. She sat up and stretched feeling bone tired. When she opened her eyes though, she wasn't in her comfy bed and this wasn't her house either. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked straight into the kitchen to find Haru in an apron making grilled mackerel for breakfast.

"Haruka? Did I sleep over here?" she asked from her small bed pallet.

"We couldn't get in your house." Was all he said, continuing to cook.

Tomoe smiled when he placed a plate of mackerel and rice in front of her. They had a little time before the tournament to go eat. "So, I see you're ready to swim the relay?" she grinned at him like a cheshire cat.

Haru's eyes went wide. "You were…" he trailed off.

"I'm a light sleeper Haru-chan." She winked and scarfed down her food.


	13. You Look Beautiful

**We are nearing the end of the anime, but I still have more in store for ya'll. I hope 13 chapters can keep you occupied because I still have to work on the rest.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free! I own Tomoe**

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As the relay was about to be underway everyone's nerves were on fire. All of a sudden out of the blue Gou turned to Tomoe with a sly smile on her face. "How are you and Rin?" she asked.

Tomoe's face turned 10 shades of red. "We talked things through." She said shortly.

"Oh. If he kissed you in front of dad then you guys did more than just talk." She said trying to cover her giggles.

"H-How did you know about that?" Tomoe said turning redder.

"Who do you think gave Rin your number." She smirked a cold glint in her eye. Tomoe made a mental note, never trust Gou.

Makoto jumped into the water and got set. Tomoe looked down and saw Rin on the pool floor waiting, watching. Suddenly, Makoto was off. His rough stroke propelled him forward with powerful burst from each arm. They were in first for now. On the turn Makoto gained even more power and pushed forward.

Next was Nagisa, who stretched his arms out so far that they seemed to lengthen in the water. He gave it his all in the turn and pushed even more forward. Rei's timing was practically perfect and he dove into the water with such grace and beauty. Although, he lost a lot of ground and his form was far from perfect. Tomoe knew that Haru could make up for it.

"Let's go Rei!" Tomoe screamed at the top of their lungs. It was in the split second that Rei's fingertips touched the wall and Haru leaped over him as far as he could. One could tell Haru was giving it his all to make up for lost ground as he brought them into fourth.

Then, on the turn Haru passed another swimmer putting them in third. "He's in third! We can do it!" in a couple of seconds he was suddenly in second. The three girls in the stands were jumping and screaming. "They're dead even! GO HARU!" Tomoe screamed at the top of her lungs. It seemed to catch Rin off guard for a second, hearing Tomoe scream for Haru, but he too felt like screaming out for him.

Finally, Haru and the swimmer from Samezuka touched the wall and Haru ripped off his swimming cap. "We WON!" Tomoe screamed looking at the board. She grabbed Gou and hugged her as tight as she could.

Nearly a day had passed and the whole swim team was being praised for making it to finals. It was all starting to set in. The boys were getting praise wherever they went. It was nice.

After practice that day it was nearly evening when Tomoe started to get dressed for the Hachiman festival. She wore a dark blue cotton yukata with a red obi. The design had beautiful clusters of tiny white and pink flowers decorating it. Tomoe tried to put her hair up into something presentable other than leaving it down. She only managed to put it in a short bun in the back with a hairpin sticking in it. The end of the pin had the same cluster of white and light pink colored flowers with a teardrop shell hanging down from it.

Tomoe went ahead of the boys, planning to meet up with them later. She was quite impressed with herself. Tomo hadn't worn a yukata in a long time and she actually remembered how to put one on properly.

The festival was bustling when she got there. So many stalls for food, games, and goodies it was all so much to take in. Almost everything was squid themed just like it was all those years ago. "Tomo-chan!" Nagisa yelled from far away. She was surprised that he'd spotted her from so far up, but Tomoe made it through the crowd and saw that everyone was there. Even Gou and Chigusa also dressed in yukatas.

"Uwa! Tomoe-sempai you look so pretty! Where'd you get your hairpin?" Gou gawked looking her up and down.

"Something I found lying around. I think I got it from my grandma." She shrugged. Makoto couldn't help but blush a tiny bit. Tomoe did look really pretty. He wanted to tell her.

"Let's go get some food!" Nagisa interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah!" Rei agreed.

"I recommend the squid paella." Chigusa said smiling.

"We're going to watch the squid ink calligraphy contest. Tomoe do you want to come?" she asked.

"Sounds great!" she smiled and followed the girls off. Makoto missed his chance.

Tomoe was having a great time with Gou and Chigusa. It was wonderful to spend some time with girls for a change. They tried on funny masks, ate cotton candy and candy apples, and Tomoe won a stuffed bear. "Tomoe what are you going to do with that bear?" Gou asked as they walked along the path to the shrine.

"I might give it to Rin whenever I see him again. Maybe it'll cheer him up some." She pondered. Rin looked like he was a little bit down lately, not down, but not himself. Then something struck her. "Gou. You haven't told anyone about Rin and me right?" she asked.

"It's Kou and no why?"

"Good. I don't want them to know what happened. Especially Makoto." She said.

"But, I thought they wanted you to be together with Rin again?" she asked confused.

"I don't want to cause any more trouble. At the beach it seemed like Makoto was really mad at Rin when he broke my surfboard, even angrier than I was. I don't know how it would make him feel if I told him that me and Rin were suddenly together. I'll tell them all with time." Tomo said taking a bite of her candy apple.

Suddenly, she caught sight of her cousin Mikoshiba. "Seijuro!" she called out to him. he turned and his eyes sparkled as he raced right past Tomoe and went to Gou.

"Gou-kun you look so cute in your yukata. I love the color on you it makes you look so amazing." He started to ramble on and on until Tomoe took her fist down onto his head. "Ow. Tomo-chan that hurts." He whined.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a monotone voice.

"I made the team come up here to pray at the shrine for good luck when we swim at finals." He said smiling again.

"That means Rin is here." she said to herself. Seijuro didn't notice her walking off but Gou did and she started to walk after her but Seijuro had her trapped. Chigusa as well.

No matter how hard she looked, Tomoe couldn't find Rin anywhere. She searched all the stalls, even on the main road where there weren't any stalls. Finally, she decided to go home. As she walked up to the station she saw Seijuro and Ai also waiting for the train.

"Eh! Mochida-san you look really pretty." Ai said with a blush on his face.

"Thank you." She smiled at him.

"You were looking for Rin weren't you?" Mikoshiba asked. Tomoe nodded glumly, telling them that she didn't find him. That's when all of a sudden Rin came out of nowhere, huffing in breaths of air and he was sweaty as well.

"Captain. I need to talk to you." He said determination setting in his eyes.

"Rin. After all this time I finally find you." Tomoe smiled at him.

Rin turned his head and the breath he was trying to catch was sucked right out of him. "T-Tomoe." He stuttered something oddly out of character for him. "You…you look…" Tomoe waited patiently for him to get out all of his words. "beautiful." It was like she was slapped in the face because the blush spread like wildfire all over her cheeks.

"It's nothing. I…thank you." It wasn't like her to stutter either, but here she was at a loss for words that Rin called her beautiful. Suddenly, she remembered the bear in her hands and thrust it at him. "I won this and I want you to have it." she said giving him the small plushy animal. It was Rin's turn to blush. Tomoe giving him a gift was unheard of. "Ha! You're blushing you shrimp!" she yelled pointing to his face.

"Tch. You're one to talk tomato faced girl!" he yelled. And just like that they were at it again. Ai sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

It wasn't like their fighting before where they were genuinely mad at each other, anyone could see the playfulness their words held as they exchanged them back and forth. "I guess you really can't help true love." Seijuro said smiling at the pair who bickered with each other.

"I don't love him/her!" They said in unison trying to hide their feelings for each other.

Seijuro let out a hearty laugh. They were just like two elementary school children. It was just like back in the old days. Of course Seijuro wasn't there at that time, but he could see their inner child raging on the inside.

During the train ride back, Tomoe got to listen to the conversation between Rin and Mikoshiba. She heard him ask to be put on the relay team and everything. Tomoe knew she should probably keep the information to herself, but Haru and the others deserved to know at practice tomorrow.

When they reached her stop Rin started to get off with her, but she stopped him. "Rin. You have to get your sleep! Finals are soon and nobody would appreciate me making you swim slower because you stayed out too late." She said standing her ground. Rin looked at her face, he could see the determination in her eyes. She cared about him, and he accepted that.


End file.
